The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-09
Cultivation of Rice.
STATISTICS OF ITS PRODUCTION IN THE
UNITED sTATEs-ITs VALUE IN THE
MARKET AND AS A STAPLE
ARTICLE OF NUTRI-
TIOUS FOOD.

the important fact that negotiations
had been completed for the erection of
a rice cleaning mill at Opelousas with
a capacity of turning out 200 barrels Of
clean rice per day. We also alluded to
the great benefits and conveniences to
accrue to the rice planters by the build
ing of this mill, and suggested to all
who possessed lands suitable for raising
rice to prepare them at once and make
rice one of their staple crops for the
year. In this article we desire to pre-
sent some further suggestions and facts
for the consideration of our readers, as
we'll as some reliable statistics upon the
production of rice in the United States
for long series of years past. From
this data it will Mt once be perceived
that there will be no danger of an over
production of rice in the United States
with its constantly increasing popula-
ton; that there will be no marked de.
cline in prices Of good merchantable
rice as there is in cotton and wheat;
and that as paying crop, labor and
prices considered, it is the only crop
that will or can rescue the Louisiana
planter from debt and place him 10 p-
dependent circumstances.
While Southwest Louisiana possesses
thousands of acres of the finest rice
lands in the world, aud St. Landry in
particular, with a climate that gives her
planters harvest season commencing
in July and lasting until November,
yet the cultivation and production of
lice Is III its very infancy, both in the
method of raising it, harvesting it, and
in the area of available lands that
should be devoted to raising this lead
ing cereal of all bread food. While
some of our rice planters have built
dams and levees for holding water to
irrigate their lands, they have not cut
the necessary canals to effectually draw
off the water in harvest time. The
consequence is that the rice has often
to he cut in several inches of water,
the grain becomes stained by excess of
moisture, and it's market value is con-
siderably reduced by this damage
which might easily be avoided by "a lit
tie more labor of drainage of tile fields.
Where water CAN be caught build bet
ter dams, stronger and higher levces,
and deeper outlet canals for complete
drainage. With this preeautien for ir
ligation you will be Independent of the
parching summer drouths, and with
good canals for drainage in the cutting
season you will suffer little or no dam
age from water on your rice fields. 1t
has been said by those who have had
long experience in rice culture, that
irrigating, or letting water on rice
fields, was done more to keep down
grass and weeds than as necessity to
growing rice; That if rice was drilled
and cultivated, that it would make with
the same amount of moisture that is re-
quired for corn, besides developing a
larger aud heavier grain than when
soWn broadcast We have been relia
bly informed that ono of our German
rice planters, living few miles west
of town, drilled and cultivated rice, Oh
lands high enough for cotton last year,
and harvested therefrom twenty-five
barrels of choice rice per acre. The
abor for cnltivating rice by this meth
cd is about one third of what is re-
quired for cotton, and only about half
Of what is usually given to the prcduc-
tion Of good corn crops. Then, where
you cannot irrigate your lands prepare
all of your fats or low lands well, drill
your lice ia rows about three feet apart
and work it with cultiyator the Plan
ct Junior) or a sweep.
Now, let us look to some reliable sta
tistics Of the rice production II the
United States for several years past,
and then we will understand why SO
much rice has to be annually imported
TO meet the demands of our people.
The production of rice in the United
States for thirty years, during which
tile census was taken, from 1851 TO
1880 inclusive, show the following num-
her of hounds, viz: For 1850, 2l5, ,3l3,-
427 rounds for 1860, ls7, ,167 ,O32
pounds; for 1870, 73,635,02i pounds;
for 1880, l10, ,l3l ,373 pounds. The pop.
ulation of the United States IN 1850
was 90, 1911 ,676 people, and III 1850 bad
increased to so, 1888 Inhabitants.
While the foregoing figures show an in-
crease of population unprecedented IN
the history of any other country, the
figures also show the remarkable fact.of
tie great falling off in the production
of rice. Tn forty years the population
Increased 26 ,263, ,907, while the produc-
tion of rice fell off in the same period
los, ,lS2, ,O54 pounds. Had the produc~
tion of rice increased in the same ratio
from 1850 to 1880, with the population,
in the latter year the crop would have
been 465. SAG, AL pounds, instead Of on
" ITO, ,l3l ,373 pounds. Though other
arr;cnltnral nroducts may have kept